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Doctor, Doctor Give Me The News

Me: Doc, I’d like you to administer this course of treatment for my illness.

Doctor: Ummm, ok?

Me: Yeah, I’ve formed a detailed diagnosis for my condition, spent tons of time determining which medications to take, and even worked up a schedule for physical therapy. It’s all right here! (hands over packet)

Doctor: Wow, just…

Me: What’s more this makes things easier for you! All you have to do is accept my diagnosis, prescribe the meds, and conduct the physical therapy. Maybe I could get a discount for doing all this work for you!

Doctor: …

We don’t expect our doctors to work like this. Most times, we get into the doctor’s office with no more preparation than, “I hurt.”

We expect doctors to diagnose our problem then give us what we need to solve it.

As software delivery professionals, we should be more like doctors. More than simply writing code, we should develop solutions. More than just interpreting customer specifications, we should diagnose their problems. Beyond simply creating a product, we should be rendering an expert and trusted service.

Our stakeholders should be comfortable coming to us with only, “I hurt.” We should, “first, do no harm.” We should be trusted professionals who understand their problems and faithfully deliver solutions.

Jason is a developer, Scrum Master, writer, teacher, coach, husband, father, and community leader out of Tulsa Oklahoma. He's been delivering software since 2007 and absolutely loves the values and principles of agility especially as given form by the Scrum framework.